Jose Fernandez: The Marlins must-watch player

Jose Fernandez takes the field for the Jupiter Hammerheads in a Florida State League game at Roger Dean Stadium in 2012.

JUPITER - It's hard to imagine that just 16 months ago Jose Fernandez was pitching for the Jupiter Hammerheads. On September 9, 2012 Fernandez pitched five shutout innings in a win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League finals; his next stop was the big leagues.

Fernandez was on the Miami Marlins Opening Day roster in 2013 and made his Major League debut at Citi Field in April. He would find himself back at that same ballpark in July as the Marlins representative for the All-Star Game, one of many accolades in a break out campaign for the Cuban right-hander.

The 21-year-old defected from Cuba when he was 15 and his great story and energetic personality made Fernandez an easy guy to like from the beginning. But it's his performance on the field that made him a fan favorite.

Much like he did in Jupiter, Fernandez found instant success with the Marlins as he went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA en route to the National League Rookie of the Year award. For a Miami team that struggled most of the season, Fernandez was a must-watch player, a glimmer of hope for the future of the franchise.

Fernandez throws a fastball in the mid 90s and has a devastating breaking ball, nicknamed the defector, helping him average 9.75 strikeouts per nine innings, the second best in the National League.

That wasn't the only impressive stat about Fernandez's debut season.

He became only the seventh pitcher since 1920 to have six starts in which he went seven innings, allowed three or fewer hits and didn't allow a run. The other pitchers who have done that include: Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez (twice), Jake Peavy, Mort Cooper and Dean Chance. Quite the company for a pitcher who won't turn 22 until July.

But the question remains, can Fernandez duplicate his 2013 performance or will he experience a sophomore slump?

One cause for concern could be the amount of innings Fernandez will pitch in 2014. Last year he was shutdown in early September once he reached 170 innings and in 2012 he pitched just 134 innings in Greensboro and Jupiter combined.

In 2014 the training wheels will come off and Fernandez will be allowed to pitch deeper into the season, although there will probably be a limit of around 200 innings.

"It won't be as stringent as it was in his first season," said Marlins President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill in an MLB.com article. "But we're not going to have him go out and throw 300 innings."

With no experience throwing so many innings it is hard to predict how Fernandez's arm will hold up, but with his fluid delivery and solid build he has the potential to become a work horse to anchor the Marlins starting rotation for years to come.

There is also the chance that Fernandez could improve in his second season.

One interesting comparison is with Fernando Valenzuela. Although Valenzuela is a lefty, he also won the NL Rookie of the Year award when he was 20 years old in 1981 after going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA. In his second season, Valenzuela won 19 games and posted a 2.87 ERA although he did pitch 285 innings, something that Fernandez won't do in a new day and age where pitch counts are heavily monitored.

A more recent comparison is Felix Hernandez who went 14-7 with a 3.92 ERA in his second full season at the age of 21 after going 12-14 with a 4.52 ERA the year before.

There is no question that the sky is the limit for Fernandez and it wouldn't be a shock to see him replicate or improve off of his 2013 performance.

For example, Fernandez actually improved as the season went on last year. In 10 starts after the all-star break he went 7-1 with a 1.32 ERA. He got stronger as the season went on and he got stronger the deeper he got into games as well. Fernandez did not allow a run in the seventh inning all season and it will be interesting to see if the late inning success will carry over into 2014.

One thing is certain Fernandez will be a main attraction at Marlins Park this season. And if history repeats itself fans will always go home happy after he pitches; the Marlins went 13-2 in games he started at home in 2013.

Once Marlins pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter on February 16th, Fernandez will be in familiar territory at Roger Dean Stadium. But this time he will be a 21-year-old with the poise of a veteran, preparing for his second season in the bigs. Although his Wikipedia page still features a picture of Fernandez donning a Hammerheads jersey, gone are the days of Jose Fernandez the prospect. He is now the ace of the staff and the future is bright for the kid from Cuba.

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